NEW YORK – Veteran southpaw José Quintana will join the New York Mets after a brief stint with the St. Louis Cardinals last season.
Quintana has agreed to a two-year, $26 million deal with the Mets, according to The Atheltic beat writers Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon. The contract is pending a physical.
Acquired one day before last year’s trade deadline, Quintana thrived in a small sample size with the Cardinals. He went 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 62.2 innings. The results helped him earn a Game 1 starter nod in the 2022 National League Wild Card Series.
The Cardinals miss out on an opportunity to sign Quintana with some big decisions looming for the rotation beyond the 2023 season. Adam Wainwright will retire after the upcoming campaign, while Miles Mikolas, Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery are all entering contract years.
The MLB Winter Meetings conclude Wednesday. Catcher remains one of the largest priorities for the Cardinals as the annual meetings near an end.